For seniors, 150 minutes a week could mean the difference between maintaining an independent healthy lifestyle and having to depend on others for help with day-to-day activities. That’s according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It recommends senior adults get at least 150 minutes per week -- that’s 2 hours and 30 minutes -- of medium-intensity aerobic workouts combined with two days a week of strengthening exercises. But if you’re age 60 or older, beware of over-exercising in your quest for fitness. Training in your 60s like you did in your 30s is a recipe for injury. “The older you are, the longer recovery will take. For people in their 60s and 70s, it’s even more important to give the body time to rest between workouts,” Marje Albohm, president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, told the Washington Post. And of course, those with health conditions and other physical limitations should consult a doctor before trying any exercise routines.

Isometric and Strength Exercises

Muscle-strengthening exercises help combat muscle loss as you age, according to the CDC. Low-impact isometric exercises use your own body weight as resistance to work the legs, hips, back, chest, abdominal muscles, shoulders and arms. Exercises include working with resistance bands, yoga, Pilates, pushups, situps and light weight lifting to name a few. Simple squat exercises repeated will help maintain leg and lower-back strength. Low-impact ballet barre routines also include basic isometric and strengthening exercises that are performed at the barre -- no dance experience required. Knee-bends called pliés are performed with the help of a support and target your legs and thighs. Small leg circles performed on one bent leg with the other leg slightly lifted off the ground target your seat muscles. Small leg raises on one leg performed with legs slightly turned not only target your muscles, but will also help with balance.

Low-impact Cardio Workouts

Aerobic or cardio workouts get your heart beating faster and you breathing harder. The intensity of the workout depends on your level of fitness. To meet the CDC’s recommendation of at least 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity workouts, make sure you perform to the point where your heart rate is increased and you can still talk. Your exercise intensity should be at a level five or six on a scale of 10. By that definition, moderate cardio workouts for seniors can include everything from briskly walking the neighborhood to taking a dance workout class, the CDC reports. Low-impact cardio workouts include Latin-dance inspired routines where you perform steps like the salsa, merengue and rumba to get your body moving. “Dance is a joyful, fun and effective way for seniors to stay active and healthy,” Dr. Pamela Peeke, spokeswoman for the American College of Sports Medicine, told AARP. Other low-impact cardio workouts include riding a bike or even pushing a lawn mower.

Water Workouts

Exercising in the pool is easy on the joints, making water-based exercises a common workout for people older than 60. Water offers natural resistance for your exercises and can help strengthen muscles, according to the Mayo Clinic. You can still exercise in the pool even if you can’t swim by hitting the shallow end. Basic exercises include water walking through waist-high water or kickboard exercises. To add even more of a challenge to water walking, add small hand weights or other hand resistance. You can also perform many popular dance workouts in the pool. From Latin dance-based pool workouts to water ballet, underwater fitness is breaking from traditional swimming routines.

Exercise Tips for Seniors

As your body ages, your muscles, tendons and joints react differently to exercise. To help avoid injuries, don’t skip the warmup. “You want to literally warm up your muscles, to raise their temperature before you stress them,” Dr. Katherine Coyner, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, told AARP. If your muscles are warm and you’re still having trouble completing 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate cardio exercises a week, try breaking your exercises into smaller chunks. Depending on your fitness level, you can even work out for 10 minutes at a time with breaks between, the CDC reports.

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About the Author

Mikel Chavers has been writing and editing since 2006, specializing in health, business, government and technology topics. She got her start as a reporter at “The Business Journal” in Greensboro, N.C., and later covered state government for a national magazine. Chavers holds a Bachelor of Arts in media studies/journalism.